THE SHOREBIRDS OF PORT STEPHENS RECENT AND HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES A D Stuart HBOC Special Report No. 2 © May 2004 THE SHOREBIRDS OF PORT STEPHENS RECENT AND HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES A D Stuart May 2004 HBOC Special Report No. 2 Cover Photo: Eastern Curlew Numenius madagascariensis (Photographer: Chris Herbert). The Eastern Curlew is a common and abundant shorebird of Port Stephens. At least 600 birds are present each summer and many of the immature birds remain through the winter months. Port Stephens is an internationally significant habitat for the species. This report is copyright. Copyright for the entire contents is vested in the author and has been assigned to Hunter Bird Observers Club. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or otherwise without prior written permission. Enquiries should be made to Hunter Bird Observers Club. © Hunter Bird Observers Club Inc P.O. Box 24 New Lambton NSW 2305 Australia http://users.hunterlink.net.au/hboc/home.htm Price: $20 HBOC Special Reports 1. Birds of Ash Island, A D Stuart, December 2002 2. The Shorebirds of Port Stephens. Recent and Historical Perspectives, A D Stuart, May 2004 3. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. INTRODUCTION 1 2. HIGH TIDE SURVEYS AT SWAN BAY (WORIMI NATURE RESERVE) 3 2.1. Summary 3 2.2. Survey Methodology 6 2.3. Discussion 7 2.4. Acknowledgements 8 3. PORT STEPHENS HIGH TIDE SURVEY 8 FEBRUARY 2004 12 3.1. Summary 12 3.2. Discussion 14 3.2.1. Survey Methodology 14 3.2.2. Counts of Individual Species 14 3.2.3. Distribution of Roosting Sites for Individual Species 18 3.2.4. Significant Roosting Locations 21 3.3. Details of the Area Surveys 22 3.3.1. Area A 22 3.3.2. Area B 25 3.3.3. Area C 29 3.3.4. Area D 31 3.3.5. Area E 32 3.4. Acknowledgements 33 4. PORT STEPHENS SHOREBIRD RECORDS FROM HUNTER REGION BIRD REPORTS 35 5. PORT STEPHENS SHOREBIRD RECORDS FROM NSW BIRD REPORTS 39 6. 1982-1984 AUSTRALASIAN WADER STUDY GROUP SURVEY RESULTS 40 7. 1979/80 EBB TIDE SURVEY OF NORTHERN PORT STEPHENS AND LOWER MYALL RIVER 44 8. DATA FROM PIPECLAY CREEK NATURE RESERVE PROPOSAL 46 9. OTHER PORT STEPHENS SHOREBIRD RECORDS HELD BY HBOC 47 10. A 1991 PERSPECTIVE OF PORT STEPHENS 50 (continued next page) TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Page 11. DISCUSSION 51 11.1. Shorebirds of Port Stephens 51 11.2. Analysis Of Status Of Shorebird Species 52 11.3. Hunter Region Shorebirds Not Recorded in Port Stephens 58 11.4. Important Roosting Locations For Shorebirds 59 11.5. Vulnerable and Near-threatened Species 60 11.6. Significance of Port Stephens Shorebird Habitat and Comparison to Hunter River Estuary Shorebird Habitat 61 12. RECOMMENDATIONS 62 13. BIBLIOGRAPHY 64 14. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 64 15. APPENDIX: SCIENTIFIC NAMES OF WATERBIRDS SURVEYED 65 Executive Summary It has long been known that Port Stephens in NSW is host to many species of migratory and non-migratory shorebirds. However, there seems to be no overall compilation available of all the shorebird species that occur in Port Stephens, or any consideration of what numbers of each species typically/maximally are present and what locations are of more importance to them. The author has analysed the available data about shorebird records for Port Stephens. Early data are from opportunistic records since the early 1970’s, when bird clubs or individuals visited one or more locations within Port Stephens and from a baseline study of the wader populations 1970-1990 by Smith (1991). The Smith study included Port Stephens as one of the 42 NSW coastal wetlands analysed, thus providing a comparison of its status then and now and with other wetlands. More usefully, there have also been some systematic studies undertaken – in particular, regular monthly high tide surveys of Worimi Nature Reserve that commenced in September 2000, a high tide survey of most of Port Stephens on 8 February 2004, and six Australian Wader Study Group surveys over 1982-1984. 32 species of shorebird have been recorded in Port Stephens – 22 migratory species and 10 species that are breeding residents in Australia. The total count of birds in the February 2004 systematic survey was 2,053 shorebirds (and 2,417 other waterbird species). Shorebirds Recorded in Port Stephens Migratory Species Australian Resident Species Black-tailed Godwit Bush Stone-curlew Bar-tailed Godwit Pied Oystercatcher Whimbrel Sooty Oystercatcher Eastern Curlew Black-winged Stilt Marsh Sandpiper Banded Stilt Common Greenshank Red-necked Avocet Wood Sandpiper Red-capped Plover Terek Sandpiper Black-fronted Dotterel Common Sandpiper Red-kneed Dotterel Grey-tailed Tattler Masked Lapwing Ruddy Turnstone Red Knot Sanderling Red-necked Stint Pectoral Sandpiper Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Curlew Sandpiper Pacific Golden Plover Grey Plover Double-banded Plover Greater Sand Plover Lesser Sand Plover As a result of his 1970-1990 investigation, Smith (1991) classified Port Stephens as a Category 2 Priority wetland, because it supported 3 species with more than 1% of the Australian population. The Hunter Estuary was his only Category 1 Priority, supporting 16 species with counts above the 1% level. In 2004, Port Stephens remains a waterbird habitat of special conservation significance. It is particularly important all year round for the larger species of shorebird – godwits, curlews, whimbrels. A significant proportion (at least 1.7%) of the total world population of Eastern Curlew apparently are present each summer in Port Stephens. The February 2004 survey found 112 Pied Oystercatcher to be present – this again is a significant proportion (1.0%) of the estimated total population. It is a very significant proportion of the NSW population which has previously been estimated at 250 birds (the estimate may need to be revised). Port Stephens is also important for some small shorebirds. Far more Double-banded Plover occur there in winter than do in the Hunter River Estuary. Counts of Red-capped Plover and Red-necked Stint seem generally to be comparable to those for the Estuary. In contrast, there are very few Port Stephens records for medium sized migratory shorebirds. However, winter records of such species seem to occur fairly frequently (not in large numbers but it should be noted that there has been no systematic attempt to quantify the winter counts). Thus, Port Stephens may be important for the immature birds that do not return to the northern hemisphere breeding grounds. Considering all birds not just shorebirds, two species classified as Endangered under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act, eight species classified as Vulnerable in NSW, and 15 species that have been classified by others as Near-threatened, are known to have been recorded around Port Stephens. For these species, and especially for those that already are classified as Endangered or Vulnerable, it is important that appropriate management plans are in place for them in Port Stephens. Species Recorded in Port Stephens Listed under the NSW TSC Act Endangered Bush Stone-curlew Little Tern Vulnerable Osprey Black-tailed Godwit Terek Sandpiper Pied Oystercatcher Sooty Oystercatcher Greater Sand Plover Lesser Sand Plover Sanderling A series of recommendations is made in this report. These largely relate to the need for additional systematic surveys of Port Stephens to better understand its significance for shorebirds. To date, there has been only one systematic survey of all of Port Stephens. The recommendations (discussed in more detail in the main body of the report) are as follows: 1. Regular summer high tide surveys be undertaken for several more years. 2. A winter high tide survey should be undertaken, with a similar format to the summer surveys. 3. Continue to use a water-based survey technique for the summer and winter high tide surveys. 4. Local Management Plans for the NSW Endangered and Vulnerable species identified as utilising Port Stephens be reviewed, or developed if they do not already exist. 5. Structures such as oyster leases and emergent posts should be retained at least until it becomes clear that alternative roosting options are available for the birds. 6. Consideration be given to how a systematic low tide survey in summer could be conducted. 7. Consideration should also be given to conducting a high tide survey in spring (targeting the period around late September or early October when birds are on migration passage). 8. Consideration be given to how the nocturnal high tide roost sites for the shorebirds could be identified. 9. Consideration be given to conducting a study to identify if there is any movement of birds between Port Stephens and other feeding or roosting areas, especially exchanges with the Ramsar site in the Hunter Estuary. 1. Introduction This report has been produced by Hunter Bird Observers Club Inc (HBOC) at the suggestion of NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Hunter Region. It is focussed on the utilisation by shorebirds of the Port Stephens habitat. The main objectives in producing the report were to collate the known records of shorebirds in Port Stephens, to define the status in Port Stephens for each of the shorebird species, to compare shorebird utilisation of Port Stephens with that for the better-known Hunter River Estuary, and to recommend appropriate actions that would improve the understandings of how shorebirds utilise Port Stephens and how to protect their habitat. The report is based on data collected from many sources, and in particular the following: • Regular monthly high tide surveys of Swan Bay (Worimi Nature Reserve) that commenced in September 2000.